Unique fossil discovery shows Antarctic was once much warmer

23 July 2008

 Fresh water lake dwelling creatures have been found in an area where the average temprature is around -13 degrees Fahrenheit. Ostracod's are extremely small but we can draw some conclusions from them even though this one has been dead for quite some time. Obviously at -13 deg you would have a problem swimming through the lake because it would have been frozen solid.

 Researchers from several universities have concluded that because water turns solid at 32 degrees and these creatures need to live in liquid that it must have been warmer in Antarctica at some point in the past. I would call this a good conclusion given the evidence.

 The researchers have then concluded that this creature lived 14 million years ago and died 13.9 million years ago when the Antarctic froze. I would call this a bad conclusion.

 One possible solution would be that Antarctica did not have ice on it at a very recent time in the past. Maps have been found dating back to the early 1500's that were clearly drawn as if there was no ice. The Oronteus Finaeus World Map of 1532 below shows the continent without ice accurately depicted.

 Another possible solution would be that at one point there was a world wide flood that created the fossils in the first place. "If there was a world wide flood, what would you see? Billions of dead things is what there would be. (Answers in Genesis)" Fossils don't just form on their own. It usually takes a major change to cause a living creature that is minding its own business to have all of its cellular contents replaced with minerals (It's not something that you see happen every day). The catastrophic events in the flood not only give an excellent mechanism for fossilizing but also acts as a transportation device to move items to places where they may not normally be found.

 We have become so accustom to seeing fossils that we don't spend much time thinking about why they formed. Most of the fossils we find were created by the flood of Noah's day. This was not some random event in history but was a direct response to sin. The first judgment of the world was by water and there is a coming judgment that will be by fire, but the Lord is not willing that any should perish. The first time, he prepared an ark for any who would enter to be saved. Now God has prepared a way for you to be saved by repenting and believing the Gospel by putting your trust in the Lord Jesus.

The Bible says in 2 Peter 3,
"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."



http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/news/press-releases/ 2000-2009/2008/07/nparticle.2008-07-23.7614290436
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/2008/ 2008080527332.html
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/mapas_pirireis/esp_mapaspirireis05.htm